One Priority. No Excuses. A Leadership Lesson from Gary Pica
By Doug Diamond | Business Improvement
I've worked with a lot of CEOs and leadership teams over the years, and one of the biggest challenges I see is getting the most important priorities accomplished.
Most teams start the quarter with good intentions. They have a plan, they've identified improvements they want to make, and everyone agrees those improvements are important.
Then the quarter gets underway.
The day-to-day demands of running the business take over. Client issues come up. Other projects need attention. And before you know it, the quarter is coming to an end.
Some priorities get done. Others don't.
But I want to share something I learned from working with Gary Pica and his leadership team at TruMethods.
It's a great example of what happens when a CEO makes the most important priority nonnegotiable.
The Number One Priority Gets Done
Gary and I worked together on quarterly planning over many quarters.
One of the things that stood out to me was his commitment to getting the number one priority accomplished.
There might be several priorities on the quarterly plan, but Gary made it clear that the most important one had to get done.
And quarter after quarter, it did.
I think there's an important lesson here for every CEO.
It's not that the other priorities don't matter. They do.
But when everything is treated as equally important, it becomes difficult for a leadership team to know where to focus its attention.
There needs to be absolute clarity about what matters most.
A Plan Is Only the Beginning
I see plenty of companies that put a lot of effort into creating their quarterly plans.
They identify their goals, assign responsibilities, and leave the planning meeting feeling good about what they've accomplished.
That's an important first step.
But the real work begins after the meeting.
A quarterly plan doesn't accomplish anything on its own. It's the leadership team's commitment to executing the plan that produces improvements.
And that's where things can start to break down.
When the business gets busy, it's easy to allow priorities to slip. There's always a reasonable explanation for why something didn't get done.
The challenge for CEOs is to make sure the most important improvements don't continually get pushed aside by the everyday demands of the business.
What Does Nonnegotiable Really Mean?
Making a priority nonnegotiable doesn't mean that circumstances never change or that every obstacle can be anticipated.
It means the team has made a deliberate commitment.
They know which improvement matters most. They understand why it matters. And they organize their work around getting it accomplished.
When obstacles come up, the conversation becomes less about whether the priority can be completed and more about what needs to happen to keep it moving.
Do we need to change our approach?
Does someone need additional help?
Are we spending time on less important activities?
Those are the kinds of questions that help a leadership team stay focused.
The CEO has an important role in reinforcing that commitment.
If the CEO treats the number one priority as optional, it's difficult to expect the rest of the team to treat it differently.
Don't Confuse Being Busy with Making Improvements
This is something I talk about frequently with the CEOs I coach.
You can have a very busy quarter. You can hit your financial targets, take care of your clients, and keep the business running.
Those are all good things.
But did you make the improvements you committed to making?
That's a different question.
Quarterly priorities are supposed to help you improve the business, not simply operate it.
If the leadership team is constantly consumed by the day-to-day work, those improvements can keep getting postponed.
And when that happens quarter after quarter, the business misses opportunities to become stronger.
Gary's example is a reminder that a leadership team can make meaningful progress when there's clarity about what absolutely needs to get done.
A Question for Your Next Leadership Meeting
Take a look at your current quarterly plan.
You probably have several priorities listed.
Now ask your leadership team one question:
If we could only accomplish one of these priorities this quarter, which one would make the greatest difference to our business?
Have the conversation.
Make sure everyone understands why that improvement matters.
Then look at what it will take to get it done.
Who is accountable? Who needs to be involved? What resources are required? And how will you keep it from slipping as the quarter gets busy?
You don't necessarily have to eliminate the other priorities.
But you do need to make sure your leadership team knows which one comes first.
Thank You, Gary
With Gary's final TruMethods peer meetings taking place this month, I've been reflecting on the opportunity I've had to work with him.
I've appreciated his commitment to leadership, planning, and making meaningful improvements.
The lesson about his number one priority is something I've carried into my work with other CEOs and leadership teams.
Gary, thank you for the example you've set and for the opportunity to work together. I wish you all the best in your next chapter.
And for the CEOs reading this, I'll leave you with one thought.
You don't have to accomplish everything to have a successful quarter. But you do need to accomplish the things that matter most.
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